Something fishy's going on

kickingfrog · February 5, 2010

I wonder if the regulars are not willing to, or are unable to, adapt their locations or presentations to a dynamic system?

Sorry, some science is mentioned in article, but so is a lot of speculation.

Link:

http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2437023

Something fishy's going on — PHOTO GALLERY

Posted By Dave Dale

Posted 10:00 am Feb 5, 2010

Lake Nipissing walleye may have become hooked on a fat-rich diet of smelts, a theory that explains a disappearing act this past fall, as well as ice fishing complaints and a recent explosion in the perch population.

Richard Rowe, Nipissing First Nation biologist, told The Nugget Thursday that "lower than expected catches of all size classes of walleye" were found in the annual netting survey.

Rowe said the Fall Walleye Index Netting results conflict with harvest success — the commercial quota was reached early — and the upward trend of spawning fish documented over the past five years despite similar pressure.

"The 2009 FWIN results are puzzling," he said, explaining how the results from the past 12 years made sense when compared to harvest data and estimates for both natives and non-natives.

"This year is a bit of an anomaly," he said, suggesting it serves as a "wake-up" call for an expanded study.

"It's not uncommon to have the odd 'off year' in a long term data set. Having said that, we cannot take that chance . . . The 2009 results cannot be ignored by managers."

Rowe recommends a detailed study involving a partnership of stakeholders to test his "ecosystem change" theory, combined with an independent trap netting exercise in the spring to validate or add to the FWIN results.

He said the annual FWIN study documents other species at the same time, "showing perch numbers trending way up, with herring trending down."

Native harvesters, Rowe said, are reporting many more smelt in the lake and they are forming a significant part of the walleye diet.

"These trends in perch and herring, as well as what anglers are saying about walleye not biting, (combined with) a recent increase in walleye growth rate, are all consistent with an increase in smelt," he said.

"Walleye on a smelt diet could potentially change their activity patterns making them much less active, which could partially explain low FWIN catches as well," he said.

"There also appear to be changes at the zooplankton level of the food web, which, if confirmed, may be the mechanism for an increase in smelt among other things," Rowe said.

"It's all circumstantial evidence, but it's really starting to pile up for some type of ecosystem change."

The Nugget's inquiry about the FWIN results came before Rowe finalized the results and held a data sharing meeting with North Bay District Ministry of Natural Resources staff and other parties.

Rowe said he intends to discuss the issue with the Lake Nipissing Stewardship Council later this month.

Phil Hall, acting district supervisor, confirmed that the MNR biologist involved with Lake Nipissing is on parental leave and a replacement hasn't been named.

Hall also said winter creel data is still being collected by staff during the week and a contract worker every weekend.

But Hall, speaking as a private citizen who fishes every winter with an ice hut off Deepwater Point along the south shore of Lake Nipissing, said his experience coincides with what many people are saying.

"We're not getting too many walleye and the perch are way, way up," he said, adding that everybody also says "the walleye fishing was great this summer."

Bill Richards of Billy Bob's Bait at Lakeshore and Pinewood Park drives said he thinks the lake is in "excellent shape" because walleye fishing is "great in the spring and great in the summer."

Those who fish successfully in winter, Richards said, are not sitting in their huts on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

He said many of his customers who fish early in the morning and early evening are pulling up one to three pickerel and about a dozen perch each time out.

If anything, Richards said, people are getting frustrated catching too many "slot-size" fish 40 to 60 centimetres long. Walleye this size are considered prime spawners and must be released back into the water.

His son called him from the lake recently with his cell phone, Richards said, asking what to do with a 70-cm walleye.

When told to release it, he said his son refused, saying, "I just threw the last six back."

Carl D'Amour, a retired MNR conservation officer and part-owner of Grump and Grumpy's ice fishing bungalows, said Rowe's smelt theory isn't far fetched.

D'Amour said smelts hang out in large schools suspended well above the floor of the lake.

Lake Nipissing ice fishermen commonly bounce their jigs off the bottom.

Josh Savoie, Ben Laplante and Patrick Corriveau were heading out to "Perch City" Thursday afternoon, a collection of ice huts east of the Manitou Islands.

Savoie said they've been catching the tasty perch steadily for weeks, but only caught two walleye.

Laplante, however, caught an 11-pound ling, a snake-like species that is making a comeback in Lake Nipissing.

Corriveau, a seasonal construction worker laid off for the winter, said he get as much fishing in as possible before he's too busy in the summer.

"I enjoy the outdoors, even if I don't catch anything all day," he said, with Laplante saying they caught 80 perch the other day, including 35 keepers for a fish-fry that night.

"It was good eating."

Article ID# 2437023